Can Whippets Be Left Alone? (Quick Answers + 9 Tips)

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Unfortunately, there are times you have to leave your beloved whippet alone or with other people. This is usually unavoidable and will happen to 99.9% of whippet owners.

The question is, can whippets be left alone? Or should a whippet always have at least someone with them at all times?

Can Whippets Be Left Alone:

Whippets shouldn’t be left alone for more than 8 hours a day and even 8 hours is too long for some whippets. After about 4 hours alone whippets can start developing signs of anxiety and stress. So in a perfect world, they should only be left alone for 4 hours and a maximum of 8 hours if necessary.

In this post you’ll discover:

How long whippets can be left alone
What age you can start leaving whippets alone
9 tips when leaving whippets alone (#1 & #4 work the best!)
And much more…

Let’s dive in…

Table of Contents

How Long Can An Adult Whippet Be Left Alone?

Adult whippets can be left alone for up to 8 hours. This is assuming your whippet is fully house trained, can roam your home freely, and does not chew your belongings.

Even so, leaving a whippet for 8 hours is not recommended unless necessary. This length of time alone can harm their mental health.

Some whippet owners find it fine leaving their pups for 8 hours but others recommend a maximum of 4 hours.

After 4 hours is when it can become too long for some whippets.

How Long Can A Puppy Whippet Be Left Alone?

Puppy whippets should never be left alone! At this early stage of development puppy whippets need eyes watching them at all times.

They can’t hold their bladder and need to potty every 2-3 hours. Leaving them for extended periods at this age can harm their mental health.

Puppies need to potty every hour equal to their age (in months).

For example, a 3 month old whippet puppy needs to pee every 3 hours give or take.

This is also impacted by how much water they are drinking so it’s a rough estimation.

However, this gives a good guideline to follow when also determining how long you can leave your puppy.

Never leave them longer than the time it takes for them to have to pee.

What Age Can You Leave Whippets Alone?

When a whippet has developed some maturity that’s around the time you can start to leave a whippet alone.

Every whippet is unique so exactly when they can be left alone must be determined by owners on an individual basis.

This will differ from whippet to whippet but usually happens after their puppy phase. This is when they become more independent.

Should You Crate Your Whippet While Away?

Ideally you don’t want to have your whippet locked in a crate while you are away. Especially

if you are gone for more than 4 hours.

However, some whippets are more destructive than others so you may have no choice.

Crates can be great so long as they are properly used and make whippets feel safe and secure.

The problem is when the crate starts being used for punishment which then turns their crate into a prison for them.

The goal is to make them feel like the crate is a happy, cozy place they can go. A place that keeps them safe and protected.

If your whippet roams without being destructive you can leave the crate open for them if they wish to go in.

Some whippets may feel being in the crate keeps them safe while you are away, so for some crating might be the best choice.

9 Tips To Help When Leaving Whippets Alone

1) Make Leaving & Coming Home Less Emotional

Greetings and goodbyes can be an emotional rollercoaster of excitement & sadness.

This up and down of emotions makes things far worse for whippets when we leave them.

When you have a predictable ‘I’m about to leave’ routine and you make your pup feel extra special when you come home, this can cause your whippet to feel extreme emotions.

In order to help with this you can start to make leaving and coming home less exciting and sad.

First, try not to get overly excited when arriving home, and not overly sad when you leave.

When you get home, walk in the door, hang up your jacket, go to the washroom, change, and then look to give your whippet love and affection.

Avoid immediately getting home and drowning them with love.

This build up and anticipation of excitement when you get home can make the leaving part much worse.

When you desensitize them to when you come and go, it can help them feel better about you leaving.

If you act like it’s not a big deal they will feed off of that!

2) 4 Hours Is The Sweet Spot

If you can keep the time for your whippet to be alone to around 4 hours, this will help.

The reason is your dog will know you are only gone for a short period of time.

That way when you leave they are not as stressed since they know by the time they wake up from a nap you are home.

Rather than them feeling like you may never come back.

This is why 8 hours is a little too long for some whippets. The longer you are gone the more your dog may think you may not return.

This is how anxiety builds up. It’s even more worrisome when whippets were previously abandoned in their life.

3) Exercise Them Before You Leave

If you can take your whippet out for some exercise before you leave this will put them in ‘sleepy’ mode.

That way they will sleep for most of the time you are gone.

Exercise is not only a great way to tire them out before you leave but it contributes to their overall health and wellbeing.

This can have direct impacts on their mental health, and reduce anxiety.

In fact, it’s the same way it works for us humans. Exercising IS medication!

4) Get Them A Companion

Dogs are social creatures so they will never love when being left alone.

One proven method to make your dogs time alone easier is to make sure they are never alone!

Getting another dog can be a great way to keep your whippet company.

That way whenever you leave they have someone else to keep them company.

5) Crate Train Them

When used correctly a crate can become a safe haven for dogs when you are away.

There are lots of noises and sounds your dog will hear when you are not home.

These noises might be scary to them so having a safe space they can retreat to can help sooth them.

Having a crate can be great for improving your dog’s well being and helps with obedience training also.

Just make sure when crate training them you make this a happy place.

That means not punishing them with the crate, or forcing them into it when they don’t want to.

Whippets can be tricky to crate train but if you work on making it a happy place it can help when you are away.

Related Reading: Can Whippets Be Crate Trained? The Truth + 11 Helpful Tips

6) Mind Stimulating Toys

The use of stimulating toys can be great when leaving your whippet alone.

This is especially true if you need to leave them alone for more than 4 hours at a time.

Giving them a toy that they can play with when feeling bored is a great way to keep them entertained.

Boredom is something that can make being alone far worse, so having something to keep them busy should help.

Related Reading: 13 Best Mind Stimulating Dog Toys | Dog Puzzle Toys

7) Give Them Something With Your Scent

Another trick you can use to help sooth your dog when you leave is to give them something of yours!

They love you so if they have something that smells like you to curl up with they may feel better when you are gone.

Just make sure if your whippet is a chewer it’s not something they could choke on when you are away.

8) Ask For Help From Friends/Neighbors

Now, some of you may have fantastic neighbors and others may not even know their neighbors.

If you have someone that can pop in and say hello to your pup, this will make a huge difference.

A simple visit to let them out for a potty break, a few cuddles, and that’s it.

If that won’t work then consider doggy daycare.

9) Use Soothing Sounds

It’s proven that certain sounds can help sooth a dog.

You might want to try leaving on some music you know your whippet likes to make them feel better.

Studies show dogs favor classical music so give that a try!

Also, some say leaving the TV on or white nose can help calm dogs.

If you tend to watch TV a lot with your dog around, having it on when you are gone might bring them comfort.

They associate the TV being on with you being home which can make them feel at ease.

Your best bet here is to test a few different sounds to see what they respond to.

If you have something you always listen to at bedtime while you sleep this could also work.

How Can You Tell A Whippet Has Separation Anxiety?

The best way to tell if your whippet has separation anxiety is to check for symptoms or signs.

If you’re coming home to unpleasant surprises this could be a sign they have separation anxiety. Other signs include:

Pacing
Escaping
Chewing
Digging
Destructive behavior

There are lots of signs to look out for, and you’ll usually be able to tell when you get home and your whippet is extremely excited (more than usual).

If you suspect they may have separation anxiety, always seek professional help from your vet or a dog behaviorist.

They will be able to give you the best advice and plan moving forward to help your dog overcome their anxiety.

Other posts you might find interesting:

11 Ways Whippets Can Become Aggressive & Tips To Prevent

8 Reasons Why Your Whippet Is Shedding So Much + 4 Tips

Are Whippets Loyal? The Truth + 9 Interesting Facts

Citations:

Separation Anxiety
How to Ease Your Dog’s Separation Anxiety
Do’s And Don’ts Of Leaving Dogs On Their Own